Wireless mobile devices may communicate via base-stations and “roam” between them. For example, if signal conditions degrade while communications are conducted with a first base-station, the wireless mobile device may determine that it is appropriate to stop using that base-station and start using a second base-station. The mechanism for transferring communications from one base-station to another may be called a “handoff,” and the decision to perform a handoff may be based on a quality measurement associated with the communication channels available between the wireless mobile device and various base-stations. Thus, a wireless mobile device, such as a cellular telephone or wireless Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), may operate to identify base-stations that can be used for communication based on various quality considerations.
For many wireless mobile devices, the handoff decision can be assisted by engaging in a periodic “vacation period,” wherein the mobile device retunes or redirects its radio receiver to listen for new base-stations. During the vacation period, the channel quality available from a new base-station can be evaluated, and a handoff may be performed if the wireless mobile device determines that a channel associated with the new base-station provides greater quality than is currently available. However, this method of operating may also serve to periodically interrupt the flow of communications/data between the wireless mobile device and the current base-station, even when no handoff is performed.